The cause-and-effect diagram is one of the seven basic quality improvement tools, and this article will illustrate its synergy with the affinity diagram.

Trace gas detection, the ability to detect a scant quantity of a particular molecule—a whiff of formaldehyde or a hint of acetone—in a vast sea of others, underlies many important applications, from medical tests to air pollution detectors to bomb sniffers.

“I hate you! I’m going to kill you tonight after you fall asleep,” screamed 9-year-old Jerry to his foster mother. It was hard to believe such hateful words could come from this adorable child with big blue eyes and an impish face.

Fact or fiction? Data acquired with 3-D scanning is inferior to that acquired via a touch probe and a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). This most certainly is fiction.

In the article, “Four Control Chart Myths from Foolish Experts,” by Davis Balestracci (Quality Digest Daily, March 30, 2011) the following comments were made r

March U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $511.15 million, according to the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association (AMTDA), and the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT). This total, as reported by companies participating in the U.S.

As we continue our sabbatical journey, more opportunities for the improvement of management practices continue to appear. This month, the overriding theme that I have observed is the lack of front-line performance that seems to be a result of the system.

The headline’s question seemed a bit far-fetched to me when it was originally posed. The answer provided another delightful illustration of the myriad analogies we find in our everyday lives that relate so effortlessly to our work as quality professionals.

(Toyota Motor Sales: Torrance, CA) -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) U.S.A. Inc. has announced the five winners in its Ideas for Good initiative, a unique program that invited consumers to share their ideas on how to repurpose Toyota technologies beyond their automotive applications.

Editor’s note: This column first ran May 10, 2011, more than five years before Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. We think it's worth reading now not so much for political reasons but rather to emphasize the enduring usefulness of quality management tools.